By combining industrial laser marking and special tape materials, ES Precision can supply sticky labels that are suitable for asset tracking, warrant claim security and production tracking.
The labels can be supplied in any shape which have several characteristics which make them perfect for tracking applications. The label material will already be familiar to many motorists as car manufacturers use such material for tyre pressure and fuel type labels.
The combination of ES Precision’s industrial lasers and the tesa® tape material delivers a number of unique characteristics.
Labels can be any shape or size and, since the laser that marks the label also cuts out the label shape, there is no kiss-cutting blade to be manufactured. Truly digital manufacturing like this means that small quantities of unusually-shaped labels are economically feasible. Further, labels can be shaped to whatever space is available on a product. An example might be an in-process tracking barcode label on a tightly-packed printed circuit board.
The labels can also provide tamper-evidence. Once stuck and left to cure for several hours the labels cannot be transferred. Any attempt to do so will result in the label being destroyed. This characteristic is necessary to avoid warranty fraud whereby a new label is transferred to a faulty old part to make an illegal claim. Small labels saying ‘warranty void if damaged’ are invaluable to ensure that if electronic products are tampered with or packages opened, then warranty is void.
The labels are temperature resistant. With an ability to withstand temperatures up to 270°C and down to -40°C, the laser marked labels are resilient and can also replace riveted metal rating plates in many cases. Tiny tracking barcodes on PCBs will withstand wave- or IR-reflow soldering production methods.
Already proven to last the lifetime of modern cars, this temperature range compatibility combined with UV-, chemical- and humidity-aging resistance makes the laser labels suitable for demanding tracking, advisory or traceability purposes.
The laser is capable of etching highly resolved graphics and codes so that extremely small labels can carry large quantities of data – for example DNA testing test tubes can each carry a unique identification number encrypted into a tiny ID Matrix code.
ES Precision is an authorised convertor of tesa® tape and can deliver batches of labels to customer specifications. Black or silver base materials are standard, other colours are available on request.